Spirit
by Karishiana
Summary: They never had the chance to raise him, but they were always watching him and supporting him. Even if he couldn't see them, they were always with their son in spirit. Family! Minato/Kushina/Naruto


**Summary:** _They never had the chance to raise him, but they were always watching him and supporting him. Even if he couldn't see them, they were always with their son in spirit. Family! Minato/Kushina/Naruto_

**Author's Notes:** I haven't written in ages, but inspiration struck me. [Naruto Shippuden: The Lost Tower, episodes 246-249 of Naruto Shippuden, and various other influences are the culprits!] You may or may not see me writing again. Enjoy~

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Naruto_; Masashi Kishimoto is the sole owner of _Naruto_. No copyright infringement intended.

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_Spirit  
_By Karishiana

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A baby's cries echoed throughout the room. A woman stood beside the crib, crying silently, unable to do anything but watch the baby cry endlessly. The cries were loud, but no one bothered to console the baby, and she hated it. She hated knowing that all she could do was watch the baby cry, and nothing else.

"Naruto, hush. Don't cry. Okaa-san is here. Okaa-san loves you very much," she whispered through her heartbroken sobs. "I'm sorry I can't do anything for you. I love you." Immediately, the baby, Naruto, stopped crying and his eyes peered around the room, confusion etched in his cerulean blue eyes. His little chubby fingers suddenly reached into the air, as if groping for some sort of object – a person, perhaps? A smile appeared on his lips and bright bubbly laugh omitted from his throat.

The woman began crying harder.

...

Naruto sat alone in his small apartment. A small birthday sat on the kitchen table, brought over by the Sandaime Hokage a few minutes prior. It was his birthday today, and he now officially five-years-old.

"Happy birthday to me," he murmured dejectedly. The Third Hokage had come over to wish him a happy birthday, but something was missing...

"Happy Birthday, son," Minato said. "You're five-years-old now. It's been five years since I had the opportunity to hold you. Look at you; you're so big now! When I held you five years ago, you were a tiny infant, and you were so vulnerable." He silently crouched beside the boy and wrapped his arms around the younger blond, imagining he could have the opportunity to hold his son once more.

The five-year-old's eyes fluttered shut. Minato began whispering words of comfort to him, hoping that would somehow reach him.

"I love you."

…

It was now September 1st, and it was time for those who were of age six to attend academy.

A lone boy stood by the tree, with his eyes glancing around him to watch the other kids in jealousy and loneliness. All his classmates had a least one, or, those who were lucky, two, parental figures beside them, rooting them on for a successful time in the academy. He… he, on the other hand, was parentless, and the cruel, cold looks directed to him by several adults made him feel more lonely than before.

It was really unfair.

Some people were just lucky.

But he was not included in this group.

"Naruto!" a female voice exclaimed. "Do your best, dattebane!"

"We believe you'll do fine, Naruto," a male voice added. The couple sent Naruto smiles and grins. "We'll always be watching over you. We'll protect you." Naruto suddenly whipped his head around, looking bewildered.

"What was that? I thought I heard my name..." His eyes darted around wearily.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" He shook his head and looked at his sensei. "Get into class!"

"Hai!" He gave one last look around him before swiftly rushing forward to enter the building.

"Good luck," whispered Kushina.

"We love you," Minato echoed.

…

A tall blond male smiled softly as he watched a little boy practice throwing kunais in the training area, determined to hit bulls-eye. The boy looked no older than nine-years-old.

"I won't lose to Sasuke!" he exclaimed.

"You can do it," the man murmured, whispering words of encouragement. "I know you can. I believe in you."

An identical smile fluttered on the little boy's face, as if he heard what the man said, and suddenly, after aiming, he got a bulls-eye.

"YES! I did it! Dattebayo!" He grinned and did a victory dance.

"He takes after you, you know," the man said. A red-headed woman beside him smiled, murmuring softly,

"He has your unruly blond hair and cerulean eyes."

"But your face structure and personality," added the blond. Suddenly, the little boy's shoulders slumped in dejection. Both the man and woman noticed immediately and glanced at the boy worriedly, as if something fatal happened.

What was wrong? Did he overwork himself? Damn it, no one was there to help the blond if he fainted. What would happen then?

"Otou-san… Okaa-san..." he mumbled, barely audible. The tall male held his breath; his heart swelled with joy, his earlier fear was diminished. Silent tears streamed down her face as she hear him call out "mom" and "dad". They were overjoyed. "Did you see?! Did you see what I did? I finally did it. I finally got a bulls-eye!" The couple found each other's hands and held hands in comfort.

"I saw, Naruto. You're amazing," the blond praised. "You're very good, son."

"Wherever you are, are you proud of me?" She nodded.

"Of course, Naruto! I'm always proud of you, dattebane! You're exactly how I imagined you would be when you grew up. You're my beautiful boy."

"I wish… I wish you were here with me." And then hot tears welled up in the corner of her eyes as she watched the boy kick at the dirt beneath his feet.

"These are the times when I wish I got to grow up and raise him properly," she whispered, heartbroken, to her husband.

"Kushina…" Minato wrapped his arms around his wife in a comforting manner. "He knows. He knows we love him unconditionally. I know he knows."

"Otou-san, okaa-san, I love you," Naruto said.

"We love you, too. We'll always be beside you. We'll be watching over you. No matter where you go, we'll follow, and look over you there." Minato and Kushina stood beside their son and hugged him, hoping that he would feel their presence.

"We're with you in spirit."

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**A/N:**

I've gotten rusty, but I would like to say that my writing has gotten better, but that would be bias, so I would like to hear from you guys. What do you think? Do you like my new writing style, or should I just trash it? I also know that it's impossible for Minato and Kushina to be trailing after Naruto because they died, but this is fanfiction, so go with it. I wanted to write more, too, but I'm really tired right now. I can't squeeze anymore words out.

Drop me a line?


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